Facing the Giants

A new movie came out this year, Facing the Giants, did anyone out there see it? It's a good movie, excellent in fact, compared to the stuff Hollywood tries to give us. Our Pastor used those words as the theme of his sermon today ... Facing the Giants ... and gave examples from Numbers 13 and I Samuel 17.

Numbers 13:25-33:

"After exploring the land of Canaan forty days, the twelve men returned to Kadesh in the Paran Desert and told Moses, Aaron, and the people what they had seen. They showed them the fruit and said: Look at this fruit! The land we explored is rich with milk and honey.

But the people who live there are strong, and their cities are large and walled. We even saw the three Anakim clans. Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites live along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Caleb calmed down the crowd and said, " Let's go and take the land. I know we can do it!"
But the other men replied, " Those people are much too strong for us." Then they started spreading rumors and saying, " We won't be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants. In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers."

I Samuel 17:41-50

"Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. "Do you think I'm a dog?" Goliath asked. "Is that why you've come after me with a stick?" He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods and shouted, "Come on! When I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds and wild animals!"
David answered:
You've come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I've come out to fight you in the name of the LORD All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel's army, and you have insulted him too!
Today the LORD will help me defeat you. I'll knock you down and cut off your head, and I'll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. Everybody here will see that the LORD doesn't need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.
When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword."

We remember these Bible stories, don't we? But how do we apply them to the giants in our own lives? We need to realize that if we're going to faithfully follow Christ, there will be giants to deal with.

There are 4 characteristics of giants:

They always block our view of God's will.

They reveal the true character of God's people.

They can be a tool of Satan to rob us of God's best.

They can also be tools of God to prepare us for His best.

Pastor also gave seven steps to defeat the giants:

1.Be faithful in the small things. Prayer, a life-style of prayer is necessary. Bible reading & meditating on God's Word. Learning to be still and listen for God's voice. If we can't daily do these things, how do we discern the giant and his scheme against us?

2. Look past the giants to God.

3. See our self as God sees us. The world would have us fit into its mold and we have no place being there. To better see who we are, we must be people of the Book.

4. Learn to overcome the influences of the crowd. Learn to stand alone if need be.

5. Be true to who we are as individuals and as the Body of Christ.

6. Keep focused on God's purposes.

7. Remember that others are watching us.

As we enter a new year, remember that we will face giants and they're not all the same for everyone. Let's remember to prompt one another to be in God's Word on a regular basis, to be people who pray and people who can be still and listen for God's voice. Let us encourage one another to good works and remind one another to lay aside the sin that so easily besets us, and run the race God has given us to run. Let us be mindful to love one another and to do all we do for the glory of God.

Indeed giants will come, but will we look past them and seek God's face? Will we truly see ourselves as God sees us? I find beauty and worth in each friend I have, but have such trouble seeing that in myself. May we be delivered from this. Will we learn to overcome the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil this year? Will we be true to ourselves and to the Body of Christ? Will we keep focused on God's purposes for us? Will we remember that others are watching?

I said in yesterday's post that I don't do New Year's resolutions. After Pastor's sermon this morning, I think I've changed my mind.